The London Classic Car Show is considered to be the must-go event for any discerning classic car owner, collector, expert or enthusiast, and the three-day extravaganza rolls into London’s Excel this Thursday (February 23rd).
Pulling together the very best dealers, manufacturers, car clubs and products, it’s the perfect day out for anyone with the slightest interest in classics.
But what exactly is going to be there? You’re about to find out…
The Grand Avenue
The organisers say that 66 of the world’s most intriguing, unusual, exotic and genre-defining cars will comprise the Grand Avenue – one of the show’s central features – which in 2017, adopts the theme of ‘The Perfect Ten’.
Sixty of these cars are split into the ten categories – saloon, coupé, four-seat convertible, sports car, supercar, hatchback, shooting brake, sports racer, single seater and aerodynamic pioneers.
The remaining six form a Ferrari Tribute and feature six of the best cars ever to wear the Prancing Horse badge.
It’d be pretty ridiculous to list every car that makes up these groups but you can expect everything from a 1904 British-built 9.6-litre Maudsley (the supercar of its day) to a Ferrari Enzo built almost 100 years later to be included.
Other cars set to appear are…
1965 Ford Mustang 269 GT
This fastback Mustang is a very early example, first registered in Texas in January 1965, mere months after production had commenced.
With a black interior to match its shiny noir shell, this example benefited from the addition of a fuel-injected 203 cubic inch (4.94-litre) V8 350bhp engine. It was also once owned by F1 design engineer Adrian Newey OBE.
1927 Lancia Lambda Series 7 Weyman Fabric Body Saloon
One of the oldest automobiles set to appear is this Lambda – the car that pioneered monocoque construction upon its introduction in 1922. Such was its forward-thinking approach, it remained one of the most advanced cars when its production wound down in 1931.
The car uses a super rare 2,370cc V4 engine built by Lancia in Turin and is deemed to be one of the most important cars of the 20th century.
1975 NSU Ro80
The Ro80 was voted European Car of the Year in 1968 and celebrates its 50th birthday in 2017.
Using a revolutionary Wankel rotary engine linked to a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox with an automatic clutch, as a result, making it one of the most advanced cars of the 20th century.
1964 Jaguar E-Type – Linder-Nöcker Lightweight
Jaguar famously built just 12 lightweight E-Types and here’s one of them.
The example set to appear at the London Classic Car Show has been modified to boast a low-drag body design, but it was tragically wrecked just weeks after racing in 1964’s Le Mans.
It was feared that what remained of the car was a lost cause, however, after a gruelling 7,000 hour restoration job, the car is looking spiffy again.
1991 Mazda MX-5 Mk 1 Le Mans Edition
There are literally millions of MX-5s kicking about the globe so admittedly, there usually isn’t anything that special about the world’s best-selling convertible car.
However, only 24 of these special edition MX-5 models were built, commemorating Mazda’s remarkable outright win at Le Mans in 1991.
These stick out from the crowd thanks to their BBR Turbo, which helped the 1.6-litre twin-cam petrol engine produce 150bhp – an extra 36bhp than usual. Additionally, the car gets uprated springs and dampers, OZ alloy wheels and power steering.
There’s also that distinctive paint job echoing the Le Mans winner.
1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI
Just like the MX-5, it wouldn’t be a big ask to find a Golf GTI on UK roads, but this will be a pristine first generation example that set the formula for the versatile hot hatch.
It was comfortable and spacious enough to cart Granny to the shops, yet super fun to drive, delivering plenty of punch when asked. Many family-sized performanced hatches followed, but the original GTI is still the most iconic hot hatch around.
If you want a taste of how 2016’s event went down, check out the video below:
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Great post Lauryn…thanks for sharing. Can you tell me how this show in London compares to the classic show in Birmingham coming up this year: https://www.airshroud.co.uk/upcoming-car-event-classic-motor-show/. Want to try and get to a classic show but only really want to spend the cash on one 😉 Thanks, Michael.